The Army Corps of Engineers will begin removing trees and fences along the 17th Street Canal today after an Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge denied a request for a temporary restraining order against the action on Sunday.

Work will begin around 12:30 p.m. at 6772 Bellaire Drive near Hammond Highway, a corps official said. The corps expects the project will last 3-4 weeks.

The 17th Street Canal Coalition and individual homeowners who live along Bellaire Drive abutting the waterway had sought to stop the corps from removing their fences, trees, and other structures located within 6 feet of the levee "toe" on the eastern side of the canal.

However, Judge Kern Reese said the plaintiffs "have a right to make a claim for just compensation" in the form of monetary damages.